I agree with the article: I hate wasting time at the airport. I am flying through Aeromexico, and they want to be there 3 hours prior to flying. I said to the customer service guy: I am not going to be there waiting around for 3 hours if I am only taking a carry-on bag. He said that the counter people may get pissed and even denying me to board. I said WHAT!!. Their job is to issue my boarding pass so I can get throuhg security fast as downpour, I don't give a damn if they're pissed.

I totally agree. I travel often through Austin's airport and except for known busy times (holidays, SXSW, UT football games) I never arrive two hours early. Even arriving 90 minutes early means at least 45 minutes wasted time.

i showed up 30 hours early to my flight out of auckland int. i believe that was a little bit to early. honestly i was hoping to change to an earlier flight due to budget cuts and my getting drunk on the ferry to wellington. either way i think 2 hours is now a small walk in comparison to a 3 mile sprint. apparently i was not the only person to do so because i found it quite hard to acquire a bench to sleep on. any way, if you have work to do, 120 - 90 min. is probably a good thing.

First, I'll say this- I don't travel on Saturdays most of the time. But I do usually travel midday/midweek when flights are the cheapest. I usually fly out of Philly or Newark. These airports aren't as big as Atlanta but there is nothing easy or convenient about navigating through parking and security. I think your advice makes sense where you take mass transit to get to the airport. For travelers who drive to the airport, 90 minutes to get to your flight on time is like playing a fate-game to determine whether or not your were 'meant to travel' that day. Traffic around the airport is pretty common where I come from. Even without traffic, its anyone's guess how long it will take you to find a parking space. The economy parking lot in Newark is a good 10-15 minute bus ride from the airport. The one in Philly is closer but you still have to wait for the shuttle to pick you up which could add another 10-15 minutes. Should you arrive early, plug in, get a massage, have a nice meal; just relax. I'm not a fan of hanging out in airports but it is certainly worth it to avoid undue stress of desperately trying to make a flight and/or missing and having to rebook.

Goodness, that is such an unusual question.
It clearly depends on the airport and the carrier you're flying with. When flying a short haul flight within Canada in the summer from a smaller airport I arrive 60 minutes before departure.

When flying internationally or from a larger airport in say NY or Heathrow, I always arrive 2 hours before my flight leaves.

i'm lucky enough to live in Singapore. With Changi's proverbial efficiency i leave home 1.5 hr before the flight. arriving at the airport 1hr prior to departure is enough for check-in, immigration, currency exchange, some shopping and even a few minutes at the lounge. friends here who travel frequently do the same. although Changi is an exception, even in Mumbai I will arrive no more than 1.5 hr before the flight; and don't forget not to check in any bagage to also reduce wait at the arrival.

I go through Changi most weeks; from the office in the centre to clearing customs is typically less than 40 minutes, of which 25-30 is in the taxi, although hand luggage security is only at the gate not before customs. But I'd still prefer to have 30 minutes at least for delays on the road.
Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok) airport is also extremely fast if (but probably only if) you are business class, once you get there.
I have deliberately avoided going anywhere near the US in the last three years and have no desire to go anywhere near their customs or security, which was bad enough and seems to be much worse according to all discussions.
Worst for me is Soekarno-Hatta (Jakarta), once at the airport it is not too bad (20-30 mins max from arrival to being near the departure gate, less with their sapphire card system). However, Friday evening, bit of rain and god forbid an accident and it can be 3-5 hours to do a normally 50-60 minute journey to the airport, but you don't want to spend hours at the airport even with access to the business lounges and there is only so much Batik you can buy.

It's been my experience that at Seoul Gimpo and Busan Gimhae, 18 minutes is sufficient to purchase tickets, check-in, check baggage, assure the baggage scanners that my golf club case does not contain rifles, pass security, buy a snack, and board a flight. South Korea does airport travel well.

@Friday Street – your American boss must’ve been my b-school speaker who declared that if you’d never missed a flight you were spending too long in airports. If it’s the same person, I’m glad to hear he followed his own advice!

I used to fly to South America via Miami from Reagan National & agree with those who say that’s a quick airport. Never missed a flight & usually arrived < 1 hour to departure. IAD on the other hand was ghastly. I allowed min 2 hours (was always flying international out of IAD) – even with shorter check-in for frequent flyers/Business travelers. The queues are long for check-in and longer through security. Then we used to have to go and identify our bags after check-in, more precious time lost. When I once took the speaker’s advice & cut it fine, I missed the flight. BA lounge was horrible too…not worth killing time in but outside was worse.

Now fly out of Geneva. Just been renovated & less traffic so I allow 1 hour even for international flights (1.5 hrs for US flights, somehow they’re worse). Within Europe, you’ll do it with 45 mins. As for Heathrow T5, pls allow half a day…you’ll need it to get through security (yes, even so-called Fast Track) and if by some miracle you’re through in less than an hour, it’s actually not a bad place to kill some time. Shopping’s great if no lounge access and BA lounges are good if you can get in.

I get to the airport about 1 hour before my flight. That's any airport, to any destination. In fact, with no checked bags and a domestic flight, I'll even cut it to 45mins sometimes. If you're an elite, you really don't need more time than that. Ok, if I check bags in and I'm at Heathrow maybe 1.5 hours and that usually leaves me 20 minutes to relax in the lounge. The only reason I'd get to an airport any earlier than that is to relax in the lounge - that is, a non US airline lounge and only when I have the luxury of time.

Hong Kong works well for me. If i have checked in online, I leave my desk in the Central business district 1 hour and 40 minutes before departure. This includes a 10 minute walk (or taxi if I have luggage) to the Airport Express train, and a 25 minute train ride which leaves every 12 minutes. I sometimes mis-time the train, so an 11 minute delay still usually leaves me about 15 minutes at the gate - enough to do a final e-mail check using the free wifi before the flight.

Compared to some other stories here, we are obviously very lucky.

Coming back to Hong Kong is a different story..... and I thank you all for the advice at various other airports.

Timing the arrival at the airport matters. I usually factor in all possible hold-ups, but still can not beat the wildcat slow down at Sydney airport / check in luggage/ security gridlock.
Airport time is 'my time' spent in the book shops to check new releases or just think in a transliminal state.

In Singapore, you can clear check-in and passport control in about 45 minutes - unless you are unlucky with a long line of people in front of you at check-in on a multi-destination airline check-in counter - even then, a word to the "traffic director" that you are late for your flight and you can skip the queue... Changi is very efficient, usually!

As many others have pointed out, there are too many variables here for a general recommendation. Personally, I prefer not to spend any more time at the airport than really necessary. How much time that is depends heavily on the airport's size, layout and infrastructure, the level of security theatre in the given country, and a country's general tendency towards chaos. Some extreme examples: when flying out of Berlin-Tegel, I leave my flat 45 minutes before departure when I have luggage to check in - and that includes a 15-minute taxi ride. With carry-on luggage only, 30 minutes will do. And I've never missed a flight there. In Caracas, on the other hand, there's no chance to catch your plane when you arrive at the airport less than three hours before departure.

Depends on the airport and how I'm getting there. Schiphol rarely requires more than 40 mins and I've done as little as 20 mins,(got lucky). I've never missed a flight. The airport is a breeze to get through, even on a really busy day.

However going to China recently, I gave myself 1.5 hours- I thought I was going to go nuts. Way too much time. Helps to have priority access though!

Every airline/airport tells you to arrive plenty of time early. Why? Because of the 'duty-free' shopping. These are not airport anymore but huge shopping mall. First time I went to Heathrow 5 (I avoid Heathrow and BA at all costs, but I failed). If you've been there you'll understand why so many people wants you to arrive even 3 hours (for international flights, that's what is usually recommended!...) in advance, whilst you may spent 30 min max in all the procedures... But do NOT forget your credit card.

My rule of thumb is to arrive at the airport at least 1 hour before scheduled departure. This provides plenty of time to park or return a rental car and get to the gate. I agree with Gulliver's assessment that it takes about 20 minutes to get on the gate side of the TSA fence. So, you are left with 10 minutes to spare before boarding begins - less if the security queue is longer than expected and more if the queue is shorter. This strikes me as the proper amount of slack.

It depends on the airport, and the time of year, and even the time of day...

At the moment, Bangkok has enormous queues at passport control when you're exiting the country (we're talking over an hour in a queue to get your passport stamped) On the other hand, the security screening is pretty quick. (This should hopefully speed up soon, as we move into Hot season which means less tourists).

At Heathrow, I don't risk less than 2 hours, and then only if I'm on an airline where I can use the priority check-in. I've seen some horrendous queues for security at Terminal 3.

I took the 6AM on Monday's out of DCA for over a year. I always gave myself 60 minutes, but granted I had status. If I didn't have status during peak time (Monday at 6AM / Friday afternoon) I would arrive at DCA about 90 minutes ahead of time.

ORD is a crap shoot. Again, depends on status and time of day, but then again ORD is probably on par with LAX (international terminal) that you never know what you are going to get. I also took the 6AM out of ORD on Monday's for over a year and always gave myself 60 minutes and never had a problem, but again, I had status.

Agree with RedGrinch that DFW is one of the easiest airports to check into due to the number of security checks, although you want to make sure you are checking into the correct terminal because it is not easy to get from one terminal to another.